Little Otto skipped across the edge of the cliff. His mom always told him not to play here, but he felt adventerous. The strange men had arrived at his house, and were asking her about him. What a better way to sneak out to play where it's truly fun?
Skip, skip, skip.
Ah, this was fun, taunting danger and laughing in its face.
Skip, skip...
The ground underneath Otto gave way. He clutched at the crumbling rock, crying his eyes out. Why him? Why does a poor little 14-year-old kid have to die while having such fun? He grappled the rock with his fingers, but the pain was too great. For a split moment, he was floating free. The next he smashed face first into the rock cliff, his arm straining as something pulled him back up onto hard ground. He panted, staring and the strange colored trousers in front of his eyes. He looked up, seeing what must be one of the nobles, with such grand clothing.
"Tuttutututut. Very silly to go playing off on a cliff side, little boy."
"Sorry, mister noble sir." Otto stood, but kept his eyes on the ground.
"Noble? Oh my, I'm not any superior to you. My name's the Doctor. I'm a Timelord, but don't tell your friends or they'll all want one."
The Doctor rubbed his wavy mass of white hair and bent down to look the little boy in the eyes. "You alright? That was quite a nasty blow against that rock."
"Yes sir, Mr. Doctor, sir." Otto sheepishly said. The Doctor grinned, and stood up, dusting off his jacket and frilly shirt.
"Let's get you home, then." 21 YEARS LATER....
Report from Custodian Agent Otto Stockland
Have reached unknown island far off eastern coast
Otto looked over at the cage of homing whipper birds. He spat into the ocean. There was only one left. Leaning forward, he finished scratching the message with his quill.
Out of homing birds, will return to secret city as soon as investigation finished.
Otto opened the cage slowly, but the bird burst out before he could get hold of it.
"Bloody useless animal!" Otto grumbled.
Grabbing the oars, he paddled his small canoe closer to the small island. His muscles strained as his boat neared a strange metal outstretch.
"Odd," Otto thought, "So much technology, yet we Custodians have never spotted this place before."
Tying his boat to a small metal post, he stepped onto the island, his iron soled boots clanking against the metal ground. His eyes widened as he took in the surroundings. "It's an ancient naval base ... more like a boat graveyard now."
He patted his pockets and removed the small quill and ink vial. He reached into his pack... and grabbed at air. Looking inside, he groaned. "No more paper," he sputtered. He looked out onto the horizon, as the sun set in a brilliance of colors. He smiled to himself; it was so serene on this island. A large boat, grounded on the island, seemed the best possible shelter for the night. He didn't bother to get his blanket from the boat, as it was still quite warm. Ducking inside the boat, through a gaping hole in the ships side, he jokingly thought the hole was ripped with someone's bare hands, as there were long streaking holes around its border.
Settling his head on a small, disintegrating pillow, a thought crossed his tired mind. "The Custodian's get all the breaks," he thought "It's a pity we aren't supposed to use most of the technology we find." He sighed and shut his eyes.
Otto jolted awake as he heard footsteps against metal. He blearily rubbed his eyes and stared forward. A dark figure was silhouetted in the harsh moonlight filtering through the rusted hull of the ship.
"Hello? Who're you?" Otto sputtered.
The figure moved closer, and Otto drew his sword from its belt sheath. He stood and swung with all his might. His sword stopped mid swing, and his shoulder strained. He pulled on his weapon, but it seemed to hover in mid air. He twisted it towards the moonlight, and saw the blade held tight in a man's hand. There was no blood, even though Otto's violent jerking obviously shifted the man's grip.
"WHO ARE YOU!" Otto shouted, but was violently thrown through the tear in the hull, losing his grip on his weapon. Scrambling toward the moonlight, he saw the blade of his sword thrown out the ship... broken in 4 places. He stared at the opening, and saw a shape fly out. He stared at it hazily, unable to make it out. It approached, and his eyes focused.
A black top hat flew right by him, its razor sharp brim slicing through Otto's flesh like a blowtorch through butter. He howled, and clutched his bleeding shoulder. He saw the man step through the ship, and shivers fell down his spine, despite his immense pain. A man with pale white skin and dark, almost black shadows in his face, stood there, rubbing his bald head. The man snatched something from a pocket, and placed it over his left eye. It was a red tinted monocle, something Otto knew had been long forgotten by the people of Arganfi.
The man grinned, with such white teeth that Otto winced in fear. Otto stared up at the man, as he walked over, bent and picked up the deadly hat, placing in on his head. Frantically trying to stand, Otto felt a force like a falling boulder smash across his face, as the pale man backhanded him.
Otto woke up, coughing blood his mouth. It was still dark, but he felt the warmth of the approaching dawn. He looked about, noticed he had been moved in about a mile and a half from the shore he landed his canoe. His vision blurred, as black loomed over him.
"Wake up, it's time for me to say goodbye." The pale man said. "Oh, what am I saying? We haven't even been properly introduced, yet. My name is Psi Beta, and yours is Otto Stockland, I took the liberty of looking through your things. Truly sorry about that unpleasantness earlier... My plans are so near completion I thought you were a Timelord. Silly me, you're just another stupid native."
"Timelord? Like the Doctor?"
"What do you know of the Doctor?" Psi trembled with rage, gripping and un-gripping his fist menacingly.
"He saved my life when I was young ..."
"Oh, he SAVED you, did he?! HE PLANNED TO KILL ME!" Psi boiled with rage, and backhanded Otto to vent his fury. Otto staggered back, and tried to spit in defiance at Psi, but crimson blood only dribbled down his chin.
"Whats the old technology for, criminal?" Otto winced, expecting another Herculean blow.
"Oh, an inquisitive fellow, eh? Perhaps you're not as stupid as I thought you were. Certainly more intelligent than that idiotic fisherman who landed here last year."
Another bright white grin sent a feeling of cold dread into Otto's stomach. "I've been repairing my ship. I crashed one year and twelve days ago. I've finally been able to get my ship to work again, after all that work of scavenging and salvaging. I shall soon be rid of this god-forsaken planet!"
"What about those." Otto spat in contempt, pointing towards five large, rounded cone shaped objects.
"Ah, the epitome of this planet's technology. Atomic warheads, with such limited range... If these went off only this island would be affected, but released on Gallifrey, whole sections of the Matrix or time looms can be blown away. So delightfully ... evil. Gallifrey ... Gallifrey."
Psi's eyes tightened, staring on an image in his mind. "Gallifrey shall pay for what it did. The Doctor shall pay tenfold. And the Timelords shall bow at my feet when I am through, begging for mercy."
Psi laughed and slowly turned away, not concerned about Otto any more. Otto stumbled over to the warheads, instantly recognising the detonation device. The high Custodians had taught him about these deadly devices, for they were the most hated of the old technologies. He punched in the timer controls, and locked out the disarming functions.
"No One will hurt the Doctor, the man who saved my life. Now I shall do the same for him." Otto sprinted towards his canoe, running as fast as he could. Psi turned, and walked over to the warhead. He stared, and bellowed with unsurmontable rage. He hammered his fist against the weapon, but only made large dents in its cover. He backed away, preparing for disintegration.
We Must Protect Our Host
We Must Not Let him Die, Yet
His Vengeance Feeds Us, And Lets Us Grow Stronger
Withhold The Explosion... For As Long As Possible
Otto quickly sat in his boat, and began the steady, but hurried rowing to the shore. His muscles strained, but would not let up. It was still a hundred yards off the island to the safe zone.
Too great a strain.
Too great
Protect the body
Protect the ship
Let the Bomb explode
Psi stumbled back, as the bomb disappeared in a blast of bright light. His body flew up in a mushroom cloud, and his lungs filled with dust.
Custodian Todo walked the streets of Fiorenza, as the dawn approached. As usual, the pearl-pink rays reflected off the crystal facets of the towers, but something felt wrong. Todo looked up at the sun, as a cloud of red shone over it, as if the sun were bleeding. Todo shuddered, and he went to write down the date, for a day on which a mushroom cloud appears must be recorded, no matter how dreadful the occurrence is. 'The Day the Sun Bled' he wrote, sighing with every pen scratch.
Otto lay panting on the shore of the continent of Arganfi, smiling and laughing. "We're even now, Doctor."
Psi Beta stumbled over to his ship, laying in the middle of the dust crater that now comprised of the island. His eyes cried blood, and he hacked up filth from his lungs with every step. Brushing off his suit and hat, and placing his monocle back over his left eye, he opened the hatch to his ship. Slumping into the chair, he spattered words to himself.
"One day, Doctor. One day, Gallifrey. Otto Stockland, you too shall pay, one day. All shall suffer for the scars they have given me." He slammed his fist on the console, and the ship activated, disappearing from the face of the planet Arganfi.